Words Can't Describe You
by roker1001
Summary: Fay is just an ordinary, young woman who moved from Chicago to NYC with her cousin, Rayne. Rayne is getting married and is moving forward, while Fay is stuck in a shit hole apartment and with a crappy job. Even though Fay is happy for her cousin, she can't help feel abandonded. However, that all changes when she's saved by a man she only caught gaze with once. Please R&R! :)
1. Thanks but Really, No Thanks

**First time posting anything on FanFiction :D I'm excited for some reviews because I always like to improve my writing with the ideas given to me by fellow writers!**

**-RoKeR1001**

* * *

**BEEP... BEEP... BEE-** a hand slammed down on the alarm clock lazily as a groan came from a pile of blankets and pillows.

"Five more minutes..." is barely heard out of the blankets that move around.

A phone goes off not long after. Blankets and pillows fly across the room in a fit of irritation.

"Motherfuckingpieceofshitpho-" the phone is picked up and the voice goes from obsene swearing to sickly sweat with an underlying threat.

"Who the fuck do you think you are calling this early in the mor-?"

"I brought fruit snacks" another voice interupted.

A dash of bright orange flys across the small apartment to the door with great enthusiasm and swings it open.

"Seriously? Pandas on your underwear? What are you, 12?" the woman in the hallway said. She stood about 5 foot 7 with red, long hair tied back. Her jacket covered most of her body but her pants and shoes could be seen. Her green eyes held amusement as her smile displayed a lazy smirk.

"Pandas are sexy." The apartments resident responds. Her short, messy, orange hair stood out like a sore thumb against her pale complexsion and black tank top. She was barley past 5 foot unlike the red headed woman. Her blue eyed gaze were set in a glare but the emotion within contradicted the action.

"You gonna let me in or are you just gonna stand there and glare short shit?" the red head teased.

"Fuck you, Rayne." the other red head replied.

"Well good morning to you, Sunshine." Rayne pushed her way through and started pulling things out of grocery bags to set them onto the counter.

"Don't call me Sunshine..." the shorter red head growled under her breath as she sat down at her small kitchen table that could barely fit two people. She rested her head in her hands and glared down at the table.

"So Fay, I hope you ain't got any plans today, 'cause we're going dress shopping.

Fay hit her head against the table in frustration and groaned. All that was heard was mummbling of curses that would put a sailor to shame.

"Tell me again why I agreed to be your Maid of Honor?" Fay sat up and grabbed the fruit snack bag that was offered to her. Rayne just sat down in the other chair with a smile on her face.

"Because you love me."

"I refuse to wear green or white. I fucking hate green and white." Fay stated with a mouth full of gummies.

"Not even for your favorite cousin in the whole wide world. You totally owe me. How many times have I saved your ass from going to jail or even bailing you OUT of jail?" Rayne teased.

Fay just grummbled even more under her breath.

"You sure do a lot of growling and grummbling in the morning, you know that?" Rayne laughed at Fay's expence.

"Well, when my alarm always goes off so god damn early in the morning instead of actually going off on the time I set it, maybe I might be more tolerable in the mornings." Fay leaned back in her chair streching out the kinks in her body.

"Doesn't help that your bed is the lumpiest damn thing on the planet either. Hell, I think your old ass, piece of shit couch that you found off the side of the road is a hella've a lot more comfortable," Rayne pitched in before taking a sip of her coffee.

"Hey! My couch isn't a piece of shit." Fay retorted.

Rayne laughed as she got up and walked into Fay's room pulling out clothes. She walked back into the kitchenette throwing them at Fay's face.

"Go shower, get dressed, and don't forget your glasses. We gotta go find me my dream grown."

Fay groaned for the umpteenth time that morning.

* * *

"Oh trust me, your going to LOVE this dress. It's one of our top shelf products this season. The color really brings out your eyes and it shapes to your body so snug. The designer herself recieved many-"

"Could we possible go with a dress that isn't so... revealing please." Rayne interupted the dress helper's constant rambling.

"Right away." the woman left in a hurry toward the back of the store for the 15th time this afternoon.

"If I have to hear about ONE more designer and how famous their over priced dresses are, I'm going to go drown myself in a bathroom stall." Fay exhailed with extreme annoyance.

"Why don't you just go look around and find yourself a dress you'd be willing to wear at my wedding then?" Rayne said while looking at herself in the mirror with a distaste.

"Why would anyone wear this to a WEDDING? There's more skin than there is dress." Rayne complained as she spotted a "dress" a worker was carrying.

Fay wandered around the store, weaving through ailse of dresses. Her hands occastionally shifting through dresses but hardly paying any dress more than just a quick glance. She gazed out the giant window in front of the store that held manicans in fancy, frilly dresses. She stared past them to look at the people walkingup and down sidewalks, crossing streets, calling cabs, talking on phones, talking to eachother. Fay stared out aimlessly at the business of New York City and sighed.

"Why I agreed to leave Chicago for NYC, I'll never know." Fay chuckled to herself. Remembering her life as a kid and growing up with Rayne in Chicago. Life wasn't always easy, growing up in the apartments on the bad side of the city. Danger always lurking and having to constantly watch over your shoulder. Getting involved with the wrong crowds and trying to prove to a bunch of nobodies that you could hold your own wasn't exactly a walk in the park.

Fay's graze drifted back to the window. Her gaze caught a tall, handsome man with blonde hair in a brown, leather jacket walking slower than any of the other pedestrians. His blue jeans hugged to him, showing off strong, well-worked-out muscles. His head hung low and his graze barely above anybody's ankles. He looked to be deep in thought as he contined. He stopped infront of a little restuarant by the name of Rudy's Bar & Grill. He stared at the sign for a few minutes before walking in.

"I didn't know an ass could look that great in blue jeans." Rayne whispered over Fay's shoulder. Fay jumped, not expecting to be interupted in thought.

"What?" Fay asked a little dumb founded.

"No need to play coy, man. I was checking his perfectly scalptued ass too." Rayne said shamelessly while Fay's face flushed.

"I, what? I was not checking his ass out, okay? Hell, I don't even know which guy your talking about." Fay huffed as she crossed her arms.

"Mhmm, sure you don't." Rayne just smiled, not being fooled at all.

"All right Juliet, lets ditch this joint. We'll try a different shop next week, 'cause I ain't findin' anything thats decent." Rayne started walking towards the door and Fay followed.

The fall air was crisp and cool and stung Fay's lungs. Fay and Rayne cross the street to get to Rayne's blue car. As Fay gets into the passenger seat, she looks into the window of the restuarant the man walked into and sees him sitting alone with a coffee. His eyes casted down at the table, still in thought. He looked up and his eyes caught Fay's stare. She could make out the the sky blue color they were.

"You gonna get in or what?" Rayne said impatiently. Fay flushed when she realized she was staring at the man and hurried into the car.

"I'm hungry for some chinese, are you?" Fay asked in a hurry and nervously.

* * *

Steve Rogers aimlessly walked along New York City's streets trying to remember the city, considereing this was going to be his home from now on.

"It's more crowded than I remember." he mumbled under his breath. He looked around at all the aluminating signs that even glowed during the day flashed all sorts of products that Steve had no use for like make-up or wieght loss products.

He walked with no direction and compared the past to the present day. He missed his old life so much sometimes it physically hurt.

He especially missed Peggy, the woman he loved. Steve and Peggy's romance ended before it had even started. He missed his best friend too, but that pain eased as he gained new friends: the Avengers.

His new companians have made living in the new era ease the pain of home sickness. Steve smelled food coming from a building he started to pass by and looked up at the sign. It said Rudy's Bar & Grill. He remembered this place. It reminded him of when Him and Bucky would go on "double dates" as Bucky would call them. More like a three way date with a forth wheel if you asked Steve. He walked in and the smell of bacon and coffee filled his senses.

"Just one?" a waitress asked him.

"Yes, ma'am." Steve said automatically while offering a poliet smile.

He was seated in a booth infront of the window that viewed the street.

"My name is Jessica and I'll be your server for the day. What can I start you off with?" a young girl barely in her twenties asks flirtatiously.

"Just coffee please." Steve responded quietly while trying to advoid the woman's eyes. She just smiled and returned quickly.

"If there's anything else, don't hesitate to call me over." Jessica winked at Steve.

"Thank you, ma'am" Steve gave a curt nod and she left shortly after.

Steve was left alone to once again reminece the past. He thought back to when him and Bucky were always together. Back when life was still simple. Those were the days.

Steve held his coffee and stared at his reflection. His face still looked the same, even before the serum. The only difference was that it filled out a little more to accomidate his current size. His eyes looked duller though. They didn't look as bright as they used to. Steve just blamed it on the stress of being a hero and having to deal with Tony's shinanigans.

Steve look back out the window and his gaze caught another set of blue eyes, except they were a much deeper blue, almost like looking in the depth of the ocean. Her obsenly bright orange hair stuck out in all sorts of directions except for her bangs, which almost curved around the frames of her glasses that covered her right eye. She wore a gray sweat shirt that looked to big on her and faded blue jeans that seemed a little long for her short height. The top of her head would probebly barely come to his chest if they were to stand next to eachother.

The girl's head snapped towards the car she was getting into. She hurridly gotten in and fastened her seat belt. Steve couldn't fully make out the girl's lips because she was talking so fast.

"You doing okay over here?" Jessica interupted Steve's train of thought on the red-headed woman.

"Um, yeah, I'm fine. Thank you." Steve stumbled over his words. Jessica just smiled flirtaciously.

"My shift ends in 15 minutes. I was wondering if you wanted to go get a coffee with me?" she said with a smile.

"I'm afraid I'll have to decline. I have a prior engagment." Steve said nervously. He smiled, sincerley sorry that he had to decline. Jessica's smile faltered.

"I, uh, yeah, I totally understand. Maybe some other time. Have a nice day." She left in a hurry. Unknown to Steve, her eyes held utter rejection.

Steve sighed and left the small resturant. He walked back to the tower and headed towards the kitchen. He grabbed a glass from the cabinet and set it on the counter. As Steve was retrieving orange juice from the fridge, he heard Tony.

"JARVIS, make a nice, delicious cup of coffee, would you?" Tony plopped into a stoll that resided at the island of the kitchen.

"Certainly, Sir" JARVIS automatically replied as the coffee machine turned on.

"So, Capsicle, where have you been all morning?" Tony asked, never meeting Steve's gaze but rather kept them focused on the StarkPad Tony was messing with. Now, Tony and Steve may have started off on the wrong foot, but after saving the world from Loki's invasion two years ago, they've been pretty civil with eachother. Minus the few arguements and occasional banter.

"Just learning the allyways of New York City, Tony" Steve mummbled as he poured himself a glass.

"You do that every morning." Tony said completely unamused while stretching out the word "every". Steve just ignored the comment and leaned against the counter as he sipped his orange juice. He was completely lost in his thoughts again, but he kept thinking back to that woman with the brightly colored hair.

Tony eyed him like a hawk, looking Steve up and down with acusing eyes.

"So who is she?" Tony smirked accusingly. Steve's eyebrow twitched upward sightly.

"What are you talking about?" Steve saidly cooly.

"Oh please, don't act like you don't know. The only three expressions you ever wear is serious, determined, or depressed as if someone kicked your puppy. So cough up the details, Cap. Who is the magnificiently, beautiful woman that has caught your eye?" Tony chuckled.

"I do not look 'as if someone kicked my puppy' when I'm upset. Why does everybody say that?" Steve said while crossing his arms and his eyebrows knitted together.

"It may be the puppy dog eyes." Tony snorted. Steve just sat there, glaring at Tony half-heartedly.

"There is no girl." Steve lied, adjusting his weight from one foot to the other. Steve wans't lying because he was embarresed, he just knew that Tony would've taken Steve's experience and blown it out of proportion completely.

"Was it love at first sight?" Tony gushed like a school girl as he teased Steve.

"Her and I just so happen to look at eachother when I looked outside." Steve retorted.

"Stop the presses! Did Captain America just get caught in a lie? So what's her name? How long have you two been seeing eachother? Tell me you two have been using protect-"

"Tony!" Steve yelled, completley flustered from the tips of his ears down. This was exactly what Steve was talking about.

"F-first of all, I neither of us spoke a word to eachother because she was outside the restuarant I was in; Secondly, her and I accidently caught eachother's gaze." Steve stuttered.

"And lastly, why must the subject of sex always be on your mind.?" Tony just laughed and shrugged at Steve's expence.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch, Lover Boy. I've got to get back to work anyways, the future won't build itself you know." Tony took his cup of coffee and started heading towards the elevator.

Steve groaned and set his glass in the sink.

"I think I'll just go for a run."

* * *

"So what was that all about in the car earlier?" Rayne asked while picking at her food with chopsticks. Fay swallowed the mouthfull of noodles she was savoring.

"Whacha talkin' about?" she said nervously before shoving another three bites worth of food in her mouth.

"Oh please, don't act like you don't know. There are only three expressions you ever wear: grumpy, zombie-face, or pouting. So cough up the details, chika. It was that blonde with the the magnificiently, scalpted ass that caught your eye wasn't it?" Rayne smirked knowingly.

"I do not have a zombie face! What does that even mean anyways?" Fay pouted.

"So it WAS the sexy blonde." Rayne exclaimed.

"Arn't you suppose to be utterly in love with your soon-to-be-husband instead of some guys backside?" Fay agrued.

"Honey, I might be getting married soon, but I ain't DEAD." Rayne took another bite of her food and swallowed before continuing.

"Plus, who says 'backside' anymore? We're barley 25 and your already talking like an old lady. I'm surprised you ain't sporting out gray hair, yet." Rayne laughed as a spork was thrown at her.

"I do not act like an old lady!" Fay's face was red with embarssement and irritaion. Rayne just gave her a look that pretty much said "Really?" Fay just huffed and shoved more food into her mouth.

"Why can't you just admit he was hot? Plus, when was the last time you got laid?" Rayne sighed exasperated. Fay just rolled her eyes at the immiture action of her best friend.

"I never said he wasn't good looking, I just don't understand what the big deal is about him. I was just looking out the window at other people too, you know?" Fay grumbled, completely avoiding the ladder question. Rayne's phone went off before she could reply.

"Hello?... I'm with Fay, we went dress shopping and bought chinese... Okay, yeah, I'll be home soon... Love you too, bye." Rayne smiled as she got up.

"I'll see you later, mkay?" Rayne smiled brightly as her checks flushed lightly. Fay just smiled and nodded. As Rayne left the apartment, Fay's smile saddened. Fay was beyond estatic when she heard the news of Rayne and Vick getting married because nobody ever made Rayne so giddy or could make her blush like a school girl over a simple text. Rayne and her were always joint at the hip since they were kids. Ever since Rayne and Vick got together, Fay and Rayne don't see eachother as often. She's all Fay really has.

"Man, I really need to grow up. I mean, Rayne's starting her life! And here I am in a dinky ass apartment with a crappy job and all I'm doing is wallowing in my own missiry." Fay rubbed her face with her hand trying to rid the depressing feelings. Fay jumped up from her seat and put her coat and shoes on.

"Maybe a walk will clear my head." She mummbled as she grabbed her keys and left.

* * *

The days were cold and the nights colder, at least that much hasn't changed. There were less people on the streets at night today then there was back then, it was probebly because of the whole 'aliens from different worlds' that frighten people into their homes.

"I can't blame them I suppose." Steve muttered outloud.

The wind picked up, sending a cold draft that Steve could feel, even through his jacket. Though, it didnt bother him much.

The smell of flowers lingered on the breeze.

"Daffodils" Steve thought.

Steve wandered around aimlessly without an actual destination in mind. He sighed once again, with a slight frown on his face. Steve wondered if this place would ever start to feel like home. He shook his head to rid his mind of such pessimistic thoughts and raised his head to look at the sky. Stars could hardly be made out, but there were a few that peaked out past the illuminated night sky.

"I SAID get. The. Fuck. Off of ME!" a female voice shouted somewhere behind him.

Steve whipped around and followed the sounds of an arguement that held the female voice.

* * *

"I knew this wasn't a good idea to walk this way." Fay grumbled to herself as she waled past a group of drunk guys shouting obsenities at those who were passing by.

"'Ey, you. Yeah, you with 'da orange hair." one of them shouted.

"Bet'cha I can 'ake you feel reeaaalll goo' gurrrll." another shouted.

Fay squeezed her hands in her pockets and grit her teeth while continuing with her walk and acting as if she doesn't hear them.

"Aww, come on girly.~ Don'cha wanna 'lay" one with greasy black hair and gritting looking hands. He grabbed her and turned her around.

"Get your hands off of me." Fay jerked her arm out his grasp.

"What da' hell is yo' problem?" the grease ball yelled angerly. He smirked and tried to grab Fay again but she shifted back out of his reach.

"Why don't you go take a shower and brush your stank ass mouth, you fucking skum bag." Fay growled, irritated with the drunk's antics.

"What the fuck did you jus' say to me." the man's face became red with anger and embarrassment. His buddies gathered around and started talking about how "that bitch should be put in her place" and what not.

The man grabbed for Fay once more.

"I SAID get. The. Fuck. Off of ME!"


	2. Why Not?

**This chapter is a tad bit shorter than the last but don't worry! I'm really struck with inspiration and want to be able to post something almost every other day for the rest of my Spring Break :D**

* * *

Just as the man pushed himself into Fay's personal space, he was pulled back just a quickly as he came.

"What the-" the drunken man didn't even get to finish before he was interrupted by a modulated Boston accent.

"I suggest you leave the lady alone and go back to your pals." the voice said sternly with the implication of a threat.

"Aw yeah? Jus' who do ya' think ya' are?" the drunkard pulled out of the other man's grasp and spun around. This also gave Fay an opportunity to see the other man as well. Fay's eyes widened a bit as she recognized the man behind the voice.

"What's the guy from the restaurant doing here?" Fay thought critically as the drunkard tried to take a swing at the blonde man and failed horribly. The blonde grab his arm, twisted it behind the drunk's back, turned them towards his buddies and pushed him. This made it to where the blonde was between the group of drunks and Fay.

The grease ball tried coming back at the blonde in a fit of rage, but all that got him was an uppercut to the jaw and he was down for the count. The group of guys faces were paled and a look of surprise plastered across.

"Uh, yeah, yeah man we were just leavin. No harm done right?" one of the guys said nervously as him and another man picked up their out-cold buddy. The blonde just stood there as they retreated back into the bar they hustled out of.

"I don't need saving you know." Fay said irritated. The blonde turned around with a look of confusion on his face. He went to open his mouth but was cut off.

"I'm a big girl. I've dealt with worse than a couple of drunk guys before." Fay stated as she turned on her heel to walk away. She stopped and looked over her shoulder.

"But thanks anyways, Stranger."

* * *

As Steve threw the first and final punch on the guy, he was out. Steve doesn't like conflict if it can be avoided but you can't exactly compromise with a drunk man who just had his pride wounded.

"Well, at least the girl's alright." Steve thought.

"I don't need saving you know." the woman behind him said. Steve was thrown off by what she had said. Steve went to reply but was cut off before a sound could escape his mouth. She looked familiar, especially that wild orange hair.

"I'm a big girl. I've dealt with worse than a couple of drunk guys before." the woman turned around and started to walk away but turned her head over her shoulder.

"But thanks anyways, Stranger."

His eyes once again locked onto the same deep, ocean blue eyes he'd seen at the diner. As he was lost in thought, she was already halfway down the block. He jogged to catch up to her.

"I didn't do it because you couldn't handle yourself, I did it because it's what I do." Steve justified his actions. A smile was graced upon her pale pink lips. She then stopped and turned towards Steve.

"Well like I said: Thanks anyways, Stranger." the woman continued to smile.

"Steve." he said.

"'Scuse me?" the woman raised an eyebrow.

"My name is Steve." he said again. The woman smiled again and extended her hand.

"Fay. Nice to meet cha." she said with amusement. Steve took her hand and gave a curt nod.

"Good night, Steve." Fay said and was about to turn again to leave.

"At least let me walk you home." Steve inquired. Fay looked at him strangely.

"You're not some sort of stalker or serial killer are you?" Fay joked. Steve smiled at her humor.

"No ma'am." he stated formally. Fay cringed at the word "ma'am".

"So long as you promise to never call me 'ma'am' again, be my guest." she once again turned and started heading home. Steve quickly fell in step with Fay and walked through the cold, windy night.

Much wasn't said between the two for the first couple blocks. Things weren't exactly awkward, just quiet at first. It was nice just nice to have some company while walking. Eventually, some small talk was made about the day and weather. Some jokes were exchanged and then some funny stories from the past.

"-and then she got on the table singing sailor songs." Fay barely got out of her mouth before her and Steve continued laughing. After a half hour, they made it to Fay's apartment complex.

"Well, I appreciate the help and walking me home." Fay said grinning. Steve smiled back.

"Pleasure was mine." Steve replied sincerely.

"See you around then, Stranger." Fay beamed at Steve and walked into her complex.

"Good night." Steve spoke quietly. As the door closed behind her, he turned in the direction they had come from and started to make his way towards the tower.

"Some night this turned out to be." Steve thought to himself with the small up-turn of his lips. The walk home seemed to drag on, but eventually he made it. Steve walked off the elevator and onto the common floor the team spent most of their time together. A movie Steve didn't recognize was on the TV in the living room, with the avengers spread out on different pieces of furniture and across the floor.

"Care to join in on this exciting moving picture of these four old men celebrating in a land called 'Los Angeles', Steven?" Thor belted across the room, though, that was just normally how he sounded.

"No thanks." the captain headed towards the kitchen for something to drink. Grabbing a water bottle from the fridge, Steve spent the next couple hours in the training room thinking.

* * *

Fay laid in bed tossing and turning with a scowl engraved on her features. Eventually, after fighting with the blankets, Fay untangled herself from her bed and stepped into the kitchen to pour herself a drink. She downed a couple glasses of water before plopping on her couch.

"Ughh, how the hell am I suppose to pay fucking rent this week?" she sighed angrily while putting her face in her hands.

"Guess I don't have a choice but to find a third job to do on the weekends and holidays or something." Fay got up from the couch, her plaid pajama pants creating static with the couch.

"Motherfuckingstaticwiththemotherfuckingcouch." she cursed as her hair started frizzing and flying a bit. With a frown set upon her face, she went to the fire escape outside the living room window and sat down on its stairs. Her mind wandering in all sorts of directions with no specific order: present, past, present again, future. She thought back to the events that unfolded tonight.

"What did he mean by 'I did it because it's what I do', what is he, some sort of superhero?" Fay laughed quietly to herself. She continued to stare off into the city, watching people roam from place to place, listening to the sounds of the streets, smelling exhaust fumes with the hint of daffodils from some nearby parks. So similar to home in Chicago, yet still so very different. Especially the accents. Fay's body straightened for a moment.

"Accents... Steve had one. A Boston accent. Hm..." Fay relaxed again before sighing heavily.

"What does it matter to me anyways?" she thought with a scowl. Fay shook her head to rid him from her mind.

"Sure he saved me and all, but really? I am not going to let him cloud my mind, damn it! I am a strong, independent woman that needs no man to come to her rescue!" she progressively said louder towards the end.

"'Ey! Keep it down why don'cha! People are tryin' to sleep ya' know!" the guy in the apartment above yelled out his window looking down at Fay with a red face.

"Aw shud' up, Rick and go back to bed ya' crab ass." Fay said back with a scrunched up face. Fay got up and went back into her rat hole, not paying attention to a word Rick was yelling back. Rick was a cool guy and all, but you'd swear he was a woman when it came to his "beauty sleep".

"Pfft, yeah right. He can try all he wants it won't get him anywhere though." Fay grinned as she flopped back on her bed.

* * *

Steve and the team, except Tony of course, are within the presence of Nick Fury, waiting for things to move forward. Through the doors comes Tony with his arms up.

"I have arrived!" Tony shouted as he gave a dramatic bow and took a seat next to Steve. Tony leaned over and whispered in Steve's ear.

"So where were you last night? With that woman?" Tony teased as Steve just glared his way.

"So glad you could finally join us, considering your busy schedule, Stark." Director Fury said sarcastically. He cleared his throat before continuing.

"Anyways, there is apparently a group of bioterrorists who go by the name of Thrýlos*. We've recently discovered that they were behind the unknown super bacteria outbreak on the coast of Argentina that that completely covered it and Chile. It acted as a bubonic plague of the sorts. Apparently the bacteria used is one that stayed dormant for almost 50,000 years in ice." Director Fury explained while bringing up photos and clips of areas and the bacteria specimen.

"So far we have been able to keep it contained, but considering how large the area is that we're trying to keep secret, we need you to gets your asses in gear and quickly stop them." he continued.

"What exactly happens to the victims who are infected?" Dr. Banner interjected.

Nick bring up a photo of a woman lying down. Her skin is black and purple in most spots with sores in these areas that are bleeding and oozing. She is hooked up to machines that are helping her breathe as well.

"It rots the body from the inside out. It starts with the less important tissues and organs of the body and works its way towards the core and outside the body." Fury said lowly.

"What about a cure?" Barton questioned with a disgusted face. Everyone sat in silence. Guess that was the answer to that question then.

"So where can we find them?" Steve broke the silence with his commanding voice. Fury once again brought up a map with four red flashing dots zig-zagging upward in South America, another with Asia with the same zig-zagging pattern but horizontal. There was one flashing dot on a map of the U.S. in Washington.

"These are the areas where the outbreaks were first reported, and they're spreading quickly." Fury stated. "But that's not all, apparently the first victims to the bacteria were abducted and then dumped in a matter of hours. They were infected sometime during the time frame of abduction and drop off." Fury answered.

"How is this disease able to branch and how fast are the victims terminated?" Black Widow asked monotonous, staring intently at the screen.

"Direct contact with the infected seems to be the case. The death process includes a wide spectrum of time frames. Some take only minutes, others takes days, weeks if they're unlucky. The bacteria is highly unstable. When the bacteria is extracted, it instantly dies off before we can even examine it." Fury replied.

"By the looks of it, it's most likely to spread across the south-western part of the U.S. next then?" Bruce spoke his question more as a statement.

"We believe they are going to hit New Mexico in 4 days. They tend to take a break before hitting their next target. You'll be flying out tomorrow in the morning, so go home a rest up." Director Fury turned the screen off and left the room.

"New Mexico, huh?" Tony finally spoke up for the first time since his entrance. Steve looked at Tony with confusion.

"Casinos here I come!" Tony grinned as he got up from his seat. Steve gave off a sound of distaste.

* * *

Another crappy day working as an underpaid waitress that not only has a shitty boss, but also has to deal with rude ass customers. Fay gave another order to Reggie, a cook in the back.

"I need an order of sweet 'tato wedges and make sure you spit in this asshole's double cheeseburger without mayo." Fay sighed, completely exhausted. Reggie just laughed as he moved around his area to conger up the order.

"You know Cariña**, I've been wondering. How is is dat' your oh so sweet talking to the customers, but as soon as you get back here, your absolutely evil?" Reggie joked with his thick accent hanging heavily on each word. Fay just smirked.

"My dear Reggie, a woman can't give away all her secrets you know." she joked back, "I think I'm gonna go take my break once this order is done." Fay rubbed her temples in an attempt to rid her headache. Reggie just nodded his head in understanding. Just as Fay dropped the order at the table of the asshole who caused her headache, her boss pulled her aside.

"You can't take a break for another two hours, Fay" Felix, an over weight man with a mustache he really needs to reconsider, barked in Fay's face. Fay took a deep breathe in order to refrain from hitting him in his big fat mouth.

"I need this job, so I will behave. I need this job, so I will behave. I need this job, so I will be-" Fay thought.

"And why is that, Sir?" Fay gritted her teeth and forced a smile. Felix just huffed and adjusted his belt.

"Casey didn't show again." he said with a glint of admiration in his eyes.

"Of course, that little tramp gets to ditch work and still have a job while I have to bend over backwards, work other people's shifts, AND still do overtime some nights just to keep mine." Fay grounded her teeth more as her thoughts were filled with anger.

"Yes, Sir." she talked through her teeth with the fake smile still plastered on her features. Felix huffed and walked away.

"Not even a god damn thank you." she growled under her breath. She spent the next hour and a half on her feet, running back and forth to tables and the kitchen. Guess that's what happens when your stuck during the lunch rush in New York, huh?

Fay heard the bells of the door chime and she quickly went to go greet and seat the fresh customers. Low and behold it was the same gorgeous Steve that plagued her thoughts the other night. She actually got to really good chance to look at him this time. His slightly longer-than-short hair is styled towards the side, his blue button-up flannel and blue jeans were snug and tight. His brown leather jacket looked kind of old, but not ratty. That chiseled chin and those strong, well-defined cheek bones were outstanding. His beautiful baby blue eyes sure were a sight to see.

"How did I not notice how handsome this man is before?" Fay thought to herself. Steve noticed her so he smiled and waved. Fay snapped out of her daydream and walked up to Steve.

"Hey there, Stranger. Is it just you today?" Fay greeted. If Felix caught her talking to him to much, he'll chew her out and probably make her work overtime again tonight.

"Yes, ma'am." Steve said politely. Fay grimaced at the elderly term.

"I thought you promised you wouldn't call me that. It's just Fay." she said while grabbing a menu, not giving him a chance to respond, and walked away. He followed and was seated at a window spot that seated two. Fay handed Steve the menu and pull out her pad&pen.

"What can I get'cha today?"

* * *

"What can I get'cha?" Fay asked with a brilliant smile. Steve was stunned by the radiant action. Her bangs were the only thing that were tamed, the rest was wild. Her magnificently deep blue eyes glittered in the light. Her cheekbones were high up and her pale complexion only amplified her sunset orange hair and made her eyes pop. Her frame was small but not thin. The features of her frame were hidden by the waitress apron.

"Coffee please." Steve muttered quickly, in hopes that he wasn't caught staring. She nodded once and quickly retreated towards the back. Steve's mind wandered back to the meeting this morning.

"Without a cure, thousand, even millions of people are going to die." he somberly thought with a frown. "We need to bring them down fast, before it reaches here." Steve's thoughts wandered back to Fay once again. She's been in his mind all night and day.

"It's probably because she sticks out." Steve thought sternly, as if he was trying to convince himself. Fay came back with a mug and poured a hot cup of black coffee.

"Sorry it took so long. I made a fresh batch." Fays's voice caught Steve's attention.

"I'm not gonna be here for much longer, my shift ends in twenty." she sighed with exhaustion.

"Would you like to go grab something to eat after your shift? My treat." both Fay and Steve were taken aback by his question. Fay's mouth was open a bit in surprise but quickly gathered herself and smiled.

"Shouldn't I be the one offering to pay your meal?" Fay laughed. "After all, YOUR the one that rescued ME." she countered.

"Miss, it is not in my nature to left someone I invited out to eat to pay." Steve said with a hint of pride.

"Well, I'm not one to turn down a free meal. See ya' in twenty then." Fay batted an eye towards Steve with a delicate smile on her face.

"Did...she just wink at me?" Steve thought flabbergasted.

* * *

***Thrýlos is Greek for "Legend"**

****Cariña is a Spanish term for sweetheart or dear. (a term of affection)**


	3. Oh Shit! The Bathroom!

**I present to you...*drum roll*... Another chapter that I spent a lot of time spell checking and adding details and humor :D**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Fay grabbed her black coat and buttoned it up. She grabbed her wallet and keys out of her locker with a tentative smile. She stopped abruptly when putting her keys and wallet in her pocket.

"Wait, did he just ask me on a date or...?" Fay shook her head. "This was definitely NOT a date." she continued.

"I am a strong, independent woman that needs no man." she thought sternly in order to make sure the thought stuck so she would never forget. Fay walked back towards the front and seen Steve by the door deep in thoughts. His brow was knit together as if he were confused or worried and his head was tilted as if looking at the floor.

"You okay?" Fay asked her head tilted a bit to look at his face. He instantly straightened up and nodded before giving a polite smile. Fay repeated the facial expression. Steve, being the gentleman he is, opened the door for her. Fay was hesitant at first, but continued anyways.

"So where we headed?" Fay turned around to face Steve once they were outside. It was cold and the smell of rain lingered on the air. But it was still nice enough to actually be outside.

"You like burgers?" Steve questioned. Fay grinned and chuckled.

"Who doesn't?" she responded. Steve gave her a half smile and nodded her head to his left. They quickly fell in step and headed down the sidewalks of New York City and all of it's glory.

* * *

It wasn't long before they were walking through the doors of a little shop called Liz Barelay. they seated themselves in a relatively open area that was close towards the corner. An older woman came over and greeted them and asked what they wanted to drink and then left.

"So how long have you been working at Monte's Restaurant?" Steve asked while setting his menu down on the table. Fay's face turned to one of vexation before lowering her menu down as well.

"Too long." she gave an irritated sigh. Steve's eyebrow arched up.

"I take it you don't like your job?" Steve's question was more of a statement. Fay just laughed.

"Actually, I don't really like any of my jobs. But it gets the rent paid and the landlord off my back, so I guess it isn't to bad." Fay fiddled with the lamination of the menu that was peeling off.

"So what do you do?" Fay interjected before Steve could respond.

"I save innocent lives as a superhero." Steve ironically joked. Fay just laughed and didn't push for an actual answer. The waitress came back with two root beers and straws before taking their orders and leaving once again. Fay took a drink as Steve asked a question of his own.

"So what brings you to New York?" he prodded. Fay just smiled, her eyes filled with amusement.

"What makes you think I wasn't born here?" she decided to act as if she didn't know what he meant.

"I don't mean to be rude, but not many native New Yorkers have a Chicago accent." Steve played along. Fay just grinned.

"Oh? You must be an expert when it comes to accents, hmm, Brooklynite?" Fay teased as she smiled making her eyes squint. As their food was being prepared, they poked fun at each other's accents and tiffed over how some words are "suppose" to be pronounced. The waitress came over, set their food down and left the two once more.

"So what made you move here?" Steve took a bite out of a burger that would've fed two or three people. Fay swallowed her first bite before replying.

"Eh, my cousin wanted to move out here and I followed. I figured I could start fresh in a place where no one knew me before." Fay shrugged her shoulders.

"Have you lived in New York your whole life?" she asked.

"Was born and raised in Brooklyn. But I did do some traveling around." Steve said, not entirely lying but not exactly explaining either. Fay just nodded before taking another bite.

"You still travel a lot?" she asked while taking a bite out of a French fry.

"Yes, I'm actually leaving for New Mexico in the morning. Visiting some family that's out there." Steve elaborated. Fay looked as if she wanted to ask something but decided against it.

"Land of the Volcanos, hm? Really hot there compared to here. At least the weather won't be as dreary like it is here." Fay said with a laugh. Guess you learn something new everyday, hm?

"Weather doesn't really bother me." Steve replied. It was fairly easy for Steve to talk to Fay. She didn't try and pry into his life, she just accepted things if he didn't want to go into details and moved on.

"Got any siblings?" she asked. Steve thought back to his childhood when it was only him and his mother. Things were tough but he never complained.

"No, just me and my ma' when I was growing up. You?" Steve quickly turned the conversation towards Fay.

"Well, it was just me, my brother, and my cousin growing up in the small suburbs of Chicago with my Auntie Kay." Fay said with a small smile. Steve wanted to pry about what had happened with her parents, but decided it wasn't the time nor place to do so. Fay just shook her head and chuckled at Steve, his face gave him away.

"It's no big deal, ya' know? I'm often asked. They were in a car accident right after I was born. My older brother and I moved from a small town called Lockport into the small house in Chicago." Fay concluded. Steve felt a bit of shame for wanting to ask in the first place but it was swept away when Fay flashed a smile. Before Steve could reply, there was a song that started playing that he didn't recognize.

"Sorry, that's my cousin calling." Fay hurriedly spoke as she pulled her phone out.

"Ye-"

"WHERE ARE YOU?! I'VE BEEN WAITING HERE FOR LIKE 3 AND A HALF HOURS NOW! I THOUGHT SOMETHING HAPPENED TO YOU!" a woman's voice belted through the phone and could be heard throughout the restaurant. People turned to at Fay as she extended her phone away from her, most likely, ringing ear.

" I had to cover somebodies shift and then I went out to lunch with Steve. I-" Fay didn't even get to finish before being interrupted again.

"Who's Steve? Why haven't I heard abou-" Fay cut off the woman on the phone before she could interrogate her further.

"I'll be there in twenty, Rayne. Don't get your panties in a bunch." Fay hung up and sighed.

"I'm really sorry, but I have to go. She's getting married and I forgot that we were suppose to go hunt down a dress again today." Fay said as she got up with Steve falling suite. She put her jacket back on and went to go pull money out for a tip but Steve stopped her.

"I told you, I got it." Steve said politely. Fay just gave a shy smile.

"Thanks again for inviting me. I had a lot of fun." she said cheerfully. Steve nodded in agreement.

"Maybe we could do it again sometime?" Steve asked, again without really thinking. Fay's smile grew wider and she nodded.

"Later, Stranger." Fay gave a small wave and stepped outside, leaving Steve behind.

"Cute girl." the older waitress came over with another glass of root beer. Steve was taken aback by the comment. Not that he didn't agree, he just wasn't exactly focusing all his attention on her appearance but rather just her in general.

"Pardon me?" Steve conjured. The woman just chuckled at Steve's reaction and placed her hand on her him.

"I know love when I see it, honey." she laughed and walked away after placing the check on the table. Steve's eyes just widened and a pink hue flushed across his face. Steve didn't know how to react to the statement.

* * *

"Maybe if I hurry I can beat the rain." she thought as she looked at the sky and quickened her pace.

"Damn that burger was good." Fay recalled the delicious, "manly" sort of flavor from her lunch as she crossed the street. Fay didn't realize how time fly by as she came up to her apartment door. She opened the door and quickly closed it as she saw a shoe flying towards her.

"Why didn't you tell me you had a date?" Rayne yelled. Fay reopened the door, completely unfazed by her cousin's actions.

"First of all, it WASN'T a date. Second of all, he just so happened to come into my work and he asked me if I wanted to eat. I said yes 'cause ya' can't exactly say no to free food. And lastly, I am a grown woman, so why do I have to tell you who and where I'm gonna' be?" Fay growled half-heartedly. Rayne just ignored the last statement Fay made and continued to poke and prod about Steve.

"So what's he look like? How do you know each other? What's his ba-" Fay wasn't paying any mind to Rayne's questions as she went to the beat down, almost broken looking fridge and grabbed a half-drunken water bottle.

"He's tall, not dark, and handsome. He's got blue eyes, blonde hair, and acts like a complete gentleman. I met him last night when I went for a walk. I don't know anything about his bank account because I didn't care to find out. Why do you always ask that question anyways?" Fay said automatically. Rayne always had a habit of asking the same questions in these situations.

"Was it love at first sight?" Rayne said dreamingly. Fay's face cringed in mild disgust and made a huffing sound.

"I don't believe in that crap. But I do believe in attraction at first sight." Fay chuckled and soon regretted saying that once she saw the face Rayne was making.

"Does he have a nice butt?" Rayne suggestively asked while wiggling her eyebrows. Fay just chuckled at how Rayne already knew the answer but realize so. But Fay didn't tell her that, because that would only unleash a new flood of questions that Fay just didn't want to deal with.

"I wasn't trying to catch a glimpse of his ass. I'm not a pervert like you, Rayne." Fay teased and watched her cousin gape like a fish out of water.

"Why I never! I am not a pervert!" both females looked at each other with a straight face before cracking up. They ended up laughing so hard, that they ended up on the floor hugging their sides and wiping away tears.

"Man, that was harder than it looked." Rayne tried to spit out in between laughs.

"It was almost believable too." Fay said while getting up. "So are we gonna' get on with the hunt then?" she asked. Rayne lifted herself from the floor and started headed towards the door. Fay followed and snatched an umbrella from the tall container next to the door before locking it and closed the door.

* * *

Steve was walking down the hallway towards his room when he was stopped by Tony coming up from the stairs of his workshop.

"Hey, Cap, have a nice stroll through the city again?" He asked, leaning against the wall, blocking Steve's path.

"Please move out of my way, Tony." Steve said without amusement in his voice. Tony was covered head to toe in grease and his hair was matted and sticking in all sorts of directions. Tony just moved his hand in front of his face that was facing towards the right and pretended to examine his nails.

"You were gone a mighty long time there, Spangles. Four hours to be exact." Tony glanced to gauge Steve's reaction and went back to examine his nails. Steve sighed at Tony's strange ways of interaction and conversation.

"Why does everything have to be an interrogation or some sort of analysis of my life with him?" Steve thought with a sigh. Tony grinned, knowing exactly what Steve was getting frustrated with. You'd think they were brothers with how they acted towards each other.

"Common, what were you really doing? It's okay to admit that you were out having sex and that's the real reason you leave at night and now you can't stand to not be by their side so your going out in the middle of the day to-"

"Tony!" Steve interrupted him with a shade of pink flushed across his face. "Why does everything have to be about stuff like that? I went out walking, had some lunch, and came back here." Steve's voice was on the border of inside and outside levels of voices. Tony gave off a small sound that sounded close to a snort.

"Don't get you britches in a bunch, you don't have to prove anything to me." Tony said as he stalked off back towards his workshop with a grin plastered on his face.

"I didn't go out to have sex with somebody!" Steve shouted at Tony, who was already halfway down the stairs. As Steve went to go turn around, he seen Bruce looking at him with questioning eyes. Steve turned a few more shades of red and went to go open his mouth to try and redeem himself from the awkward situation when Bruce's hand came up to silence him.

"It's not my business and I really don't want to know." Bruce said before continuing past Steve. Steve just stood there in embarrassment.

"Damn it, Tony." Steve thought as he walked towards his room again.

* * *

"How about this one?" Rayne came out of the dressing room in a dress that hugged her top half and poofed a bit at the bottom. Fay had her head tilted and hand on her chin before shaking her head.

"Nah, that one's more like 'I'm going to prom' not 'I'm a stunning motherfucking bride'." Fay explained. She picked up another dress from the pile that was gathered earlier and tossed one to Rayne. She huffed and went back in to change.

"So when's the date?" Fay asked as she pulled a stick of gum out of Rayne's purse. Rayne could be heard grunting and moving around in order to fir properly into the dress.

"It's... It's uh... God damn zipper... It's in June." Rayne hassled with the zipper and stepped out. This dress was also snug on top but had see through straps that sat on the sides of her shoulders and were two inches wide. The dress progressively started to flare as it reached the floor. The front however, the front came to above her knees and got longer on the sides and it showed her legs.

"Now that's one I like. It's sexy, classy, AND stylish." Fay said with a wide Cheshire cat look. Rayne spun around in the dress with a smile gracing her face.

"You really think so?" she said with hope. Looking up and down skeptically at her reflection within the mirror.

"Do you really think I would lie to you about something that means so important to you?" Fay laughed.

"So are you gonna pick that one or try on the rest of this pile?" she continued. Rayne continued to check herself in the mirror.

"No, I definitely like this one." she stated with a glimmer in her eyes. Rayne and Fay went to the front desk and Rayne made an appointment to make some alterations. The girls stepped out into the cool night and got into Rayne's car.

"How's your brother doing, Fay?" Rayne asked while glancing from her cousin to the road. Fay turned towards the window, glancing at the signs and people they passed.

"I don' know. Last that I heard, he was in Europe studying engineering or something." Fay said monotone. Rayne flashed Fay a look of surprise.

"What do you mean 'studying engineering or something'." she said with a mocking imitation of Fay's voice when repeating her words, then laughed at the horridness of her imitation. Fay laughed as well at her cousin's failed attempt at an imitation.

"You two really need to kiss and make up or SOMETHING!" Rayne exasperated. "You two haven't talked to each other in FOUR years for Christ sake. Why is it that you guys stopped talking anyways?" she questioned. Fay's face turned to one that was in between anger and sadness.

"I'd rather not talk about it." Fay's voice was barely above a whisper and her features wrinkled in a begrudging face. A deep frown settled upon Rayne's face while focusing back on the road. Silence filled the car as they approached Fay's home. Fay stepped out and turned back around to bend down to talk to her cousin.

"See ya' Thursday?" Fay said with an apologetic smile. Rayne just smiled back and nodded. Fay closed the door and the sound of "Hold on Loosely" could be heard through the metal of the car as she drove off. Fay just shook her head and smiled.

Fay walked up the two flights of stairs to her door only to see that it was slightly ajar. Her eyes widened and slowly entered her apartment. Everything was in a disarray but she didn't see anybody. She quickly grabbed a knife from the block that sat on the sill separating the living room and kitchen. A noise was heard from her bedroom and she quickly snapped her head in the direction. She moved as fast and quietly as she could.

"You have two seconds to get the fuck outta' my house before I call the damn cops." Fay said as she flung open her bedroom door, just to find that no one was in it. She lowered the knife and let out a breath of relief. A hand with a cloth covered her mouth from behind and Fay gasped in surprise.

"Shit, I forgot about the bathroom..." Fay's thoughts trailed off before being forced to succumb to the darkness of her consciousness.

* * *

The Avengers were eating dinner together in the living room, they agreed to do so at least once a week to "help strengthen team unity". It was a direct command from S.H.I.E.L.D. that didn't give them much room to argue.

"Excuse me, S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Phil Coulson is entering the premises." JARVIS's voice sounded through the room.

"Let 'em through Jay." Tony said while waving his hand in a dismissive action. A couple minutes later, Coulson walked through the door briskly with a stern face.

"Forget about New Mexico. We just got word that they're targeting here." he said stiffly but calmly. The team jumped from their seats with looks of surprise and determination.

"So they're working from the outside in this time." Natasha pondered out loud to the team.

"How did you know?" Thor's voice seemed to bounce and amplify within the room. Every one's attention was focused on Coulson once more.

"Cameras across the city have caught site of some of these kidnappings, all of which happened at the same time. Their black uniforms had this symbol on their backs." Phil had taken a device out that shown a hologram of a white bird flying and some of its feathers were following behind.

"Looks like the party was brought to us." Tony joked with a serious look on his face.


	4. Fck That Hurt!

********Tiny little spoiler alert from Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.********

**There's also a bit of some graphic violence towards the end of the chapter, just so ya'll know :)**

* * *

Fay grunted when she was waking with a headache. Her body was sore all over and she tried to move it but her movement was restricted. She flexed her hands trying to loosen the binds wrapped around her wrists and she tried the same movements with her legs but all failed. The taste of cloth filled her mouth and she couldn't force it out with her tongue. She wasn't able to witness anything due to a blindfold and tried focusing her attention on her other available senses. The room felt cold and damp. However, the lamp shining down on her made her fidget due to the intensive heat it produced on her face.

"Fuck. How the hell am I suppose to work my way outta' this one?" Fay's mind was fogging with fear. She tried to take deep breaths through her nose in order to calm herself down.

"Come on, Fay! Pull your shit together, damn it! Fear will get your sorry ass no where." Fay angrily thought to herself. She hassled with the restraints for what seemed like hours before she heard a door open. She halted her action immediately, trying to gauge the distance between the person who just entered and herself.

"So nice of you to join us tonight. I really do appreciate your cooperation and support to helping us in our research." a sickly sweet voice said as the, now identified, man came closer. Fay held her ground and didn't move a muscle.

"I'll be damned if I showed him any weakness." Fay's thoughts dripped with poison. A hand pulled the gag off of her face and instantly Fay spat towards the man that she felt was in front of her. She could feel the anger coming off the man as she heard some rustling.

"Under normal circumstances, I would have shot you in the head for such a disgusting gesture towards me," he said with that same sickening voice with a hint of anger this time. "However, you are a very important piece to my chess game that I'm not ready to play just yet." he continued.

"And what kind of game of chess is this exactly?" Fay growled, knowing full well that she wasn't going to get an actual answer out of the man. She heard him an almost sinister sort of quiet laugh.

"That my deary, is for me to know and you to find out." he put the gag back in place and left, closing the creaking door behind him.

* * *

"Apparently they are working from the coast to the center this time." Fury brought up a picture that showed a couple dots blinking on either sides of the U.S.

"So they caught onto us tracking them and changed their tactics?" Steve asked sternly. He was always so serious when it came to his role as one of the few heroes on the planet.

"It seems so. The video surveillance across the city caught most of the victims being abducted and thrown into SUVs. They were all timed around 8 p.m. last night, according to the footage. There were seven abductions caught on film, but we don't have an accurate number just yet." He continued.

"So where exactly are we suppose to find these guys if they are continuously on the move." Bruce interjected. Tony pulled up pictures and videos of these abductions using holograms from his StarkPad.

"Apparently each person that has been identified in these videos all have something in common. They're all A+." Tony explained. Steve was looking at the footages when his eyes snapped towards the one to the right of the one he was originally examining. His eyes widened and he stood up out of his seat in surprise. His heart rate quickened with the adrenaline pumping through his veins. Everybody's eyes focused on Steve with confusion written across their faces.

"You alright there buddy?" Clint asked. Steve watched as a half-conscious Fay struggled against her attackers but was failing miserably. It was obvious she was drugged. She was then shoved roughly into the vehicle, which caused it to shift side to side by the force she was thrown with. Steve blood boiled with rage.

"How dare they treat her like that." Steve thought with vengeance. The atmosphere within the room changed from serious to something deadly with the hint of nervousness coming from his teammates.

"Steve." Natasha's calm voice pierced his thoughts. His head snapped towards her with realization that he just made a scene. He quickly cleared his throat, stood up straight, and took control.

"How are we suppose to find the victims and take down Thrýlos?" Steve asked his team. Growing impatient as the milliseconds passed by.

"They do three sets of abductions before releasing the victims out on the streets to spread the disease." Agent Phil said from the corner of the room.

"So we only have three days to save the Midgardians?" Thor asked with a scowl on his face and his hands clutched.

"I'm afraid so." Coulson replied. Steve did not like the sound of that, but at least that gave them some time.

"How are we going to do so then?" Bruce asked. Tony laughed. Everybody stared at him as if he were a mad man, well, maybe that wasn't the best comparison to use, considering it wasn't too far from the truth.

"Simple. They're targeting those who fit into their formation of a swirl." Tony explained while drawing the dots in the swirl that they seemed to form.

"Once they reach the center of their radius, they release the victims in the middle of it and wait for hell to break loose." he continued.

"We should go through every record of residents residing in the area that have the blood type and should station there. We'll tag their vehicles with trackers. We can't let them know we're on to them, otherwise they could potentially ditch the plan, infect the captured victims, and let them loose in different areas than what they planned." Steve commanded. No one questioned the plan, except for Tony of course.

"Since when were you nominated leader?" Tony looked almost as if pouting. Steve was in no mood to be kidding around. Not with Fay's life being in danger. Granted, he only met the woman two days ago, the fact that Steve got to interact with someone who didn't treat him like the man out of time that he was, but rather treated him equally, he was determined to not let anything happen to her.

"Then we'll meet back up in three hours. Come prepared." Fury commanded before members disbanded. Steve was still in the room staring at the footage of Fay's kidnapping. With each passing second of witnessing it, he grew more and more infuriated. This was highly unusual for him.

"We'll save her you know." Agent Romanoff said, startling Steve. Her turned to face her, acting as if he had no idea what she was talking about.

"You didn't exactly make it very discreet you know. With the whole crushing the metal of the table when you seen her." her gaze flickered towards the table in front of Steve. He followed her gaze and seen eight indentations that were caused by his fingers.

"So who is she?" Natasha questioned, acknowledging that she may not receive a response at all. Steve just turned back towards the recording.

"A friend."

* * *

"Am I going to die here?" Fay thought while breaking out into a cold sweat. "No damn it! I'm gonna' bust the hell out of here... as soon as I can at least get the fuck out of this god for saken chair." she continued to argue with herself, trying to stay optimistic. But as time progressed, and the restraints were hardly even phased, fear and doubt started to shadow over her determination. She heard the door open once more and footsteps were approaching her.

"I brought you some food." this wasn't the same voice that approached her the first time. The gag was removed once again.

"Where am I?" she questioned, hoping that she might get some sort of answer. She heard a platter being placed on the floor.

"I can't tell you. I'm sorry." the voice wavered as if they were shaky and sincerely sorry. It sounded as if the voice belonged to a young teenage boy.

"Why was I kidnaped?" Fay asked with a calming voice. "If I can get this kid to help me, I can get the hell outta here!" she thought with new found determination.

"I-I'm not s-suppose to really be talking to you. Please, just eat your food." the kid stuttered. Fay frowned but at the food that was being fed to her.

"How did a kid like you get mixed into all of this?" Fay asked, her face contorted into one of empathy. The kid didn't reply, he just continued to feed Fay. A couple minutes later, she heard the platter being picked up and the kid's foot steps became further away.

"Please, just don't antagonize him and you won't be hurt." the boy said, his voice full of concern and fear. Fay was filled to the brim with anger towards the man the boy was referring too.

"When I bust outta' this joint, I'm taking you with me." Fay's face was one of upmost determination as she made the promise. The boy didn't say a word as he left, closed the creaking door once more, leaving Fay in the dreadfully quiet room alone once more.

* * *

Steve could hardly sit still. He was to anxious to get on with the mission. It wasn't just about Fay either, there were other hostages that he had to worry about. He had to worry about the families that each hostage belongs to and how their lives are on the stake. Event though this kind of pressure was familiar to Steve, due to the whole WWII incident, it never went away, but it did get easier to deal with.

"Just have to stay calm. If ya' ain't got a clear head, things will only end in disaster." Steve tried to give himself a pep talk in order to try and keep himself focused on the mission at hand. He glanced at his watch and decided he should head back to conference room in order to regroup with the team. Agent Coulson was the only one in the room. Steve remembered the time when he was tolled that Phil was dead. It was true, he did die. But luck was on his side that day, he lived.

"May I ask you something, Captain," Phil paused for a moment, looking at the recordings that continued to play on the screen from before. Steve's face barely gave notion to his confusion and interest in what he had to say, but nodded.

"Why is it that when you seen the footage of Fayanna, you reacted the way you did?" Phil asked. The same tentative smile he always seemed to wear. Steve tried to think of an answer but couldn't really think of a way to put it into words.

"Forgive me for trying to intrude in your personal life; however, when it may have potentially just risked my sister's life, I think I deserve an answer." Agent Coulson said with an almost threatening tone as he turned to face Steve. He was completely taken aback by the new found information.

"My sister doesn't exactly fit the typical description the rest of the victims do. She's an O-. So I had some people search through some of the video feed surrounding her apartment and her work places. You've shown up in them recently... and so has some members of Thrýlos." Phil explained the situation.

"Do you mean to say that they've discovered our identities and targeting those we come into contact?" Steve stood straighter, his teeth grinded at the tightness of his jaw.

"That's the only logical explanation I could think of." at that point the rest of the team trickled into the room one by one. Within the matter of minutes, even one was suited up and just waiting for instructions before pilling out once more. The meeting was brief and very straight forward. There were only ten more residents that fit with the criteria of location and blood type. It was set that everybody would be split up and they would follow the vehicles by using a tracking device. Not much else was said as everybody dispersed to their designated areas. All that was left was to wait.

* * *

Fay's wrists were bruised, burned, and bleeding. She fought vigorously against the restraints but all of her efforts seemed to be failing.

"What the fuck is the shit made out of? God damn steal?" she grumbled. According the cracked clock above the door, she's been held captive for almost twelve hours now. And yet, she still hadn't gotten very far with her escape plan... not that she had much of a plan anyways. Not unless breaking free from the room, snatching the kid, and ditchin' the joint counted as a plan. Fay threw her head back in frustration. The door opened and Fay moved her head back to a normal position.

"So what exactly is your relation with Steve Rogers, Ms. Coulson?" the faceless man asked. Fay's gag was removed, but she was still blinded by the fold still.

"Who?" she asked. She only knew one Steve and she didn't bother asking him his last name.

"Don't play coy with me woman." he said angrily. Hands were placed on either side of Fay's head. She could feel his breath against her ear. Fay stayed still stiff as a board the whole time the man stepped through the door.

"The man you had lunch with the other day, sweet cheeks." his whispered and then backed away. Fay could hear other pair of footsteps entering the room, the sound of something metal being placed on a metal surface, then they left.

"Ohhh, THAT Steve. Sorry buddy, him and I aren't in a 'relationship' or anything. I hardly know the guy." She joked honestly.

"What does he want with Steve?" she wondered as she heard something being picked up. It sounded like the mystery man was messing with it but with the blind fold, she couldn't quite tell.

"Do you enjoy testing the boundaries of my patience, Ms. Coulson? Because your going to find out very soon how short my fuse is if you don't cooperate." the sound of metal being sharpened echoed throughout the room. Fay's blood began to run cold in fear.

"If you know so much about me, Mystery Man, you would know that I'm practically a professionally instigator." Fay's voice held a humorous tone to it without falter. She heard her captor give a short laugh.

"You have no idea how much I know about you, deary." a sharp object was shoved into her thigh. Fay, caught off guard, through her head back in pain and struggled to not let out a full blown scream.

"Ughhh, motherfuckerwhatthefuckwasthatfor?!" Fay mushed together as she talked through her teeth. Her breathing became less labored as the pain settled to a steady throb.

"We can do this the less painful way or," there was more sounds of metal, but Fay couldn't really think coherently with the pain spiraling through her body. "We can see how many knives we can stick in your body before you bleed to death." he said with a cheery tone.

"Go fuck yourself." Fay said with a grin plastered across her face. Another knife was shoved into the same leg, just above her kneecap. She threw her head forward an grounded her teeth. Tears threatened to spill over but luckily the Mystery Man couldn't see her face. Her grabbed Fay's face in her hands and squeezed.

"Tell. Me. Everything. You. Know. Deary." his voice sounded as if he was a completely different person then what Fay had heard before. This voice was deep, dark, and menacing. It caused the hair on the back of her neck to stand up. Fay just grinned once more.

"I'm not telling you shit, fucktard." she sassed with a smirk. "I'll be damned if I let him think he phases me, damn it." she thought bitterly.

Her grin never left her face as she was backhanded by him. Blood pooled in her mouth, almost causing her to gag. She moved her head back to facing forward, her lips curling past her teeth in a smile that showed her bloodied teeth.

"S'that all ya' got?" she tempted. His other hand cracked across her face, much harder than the last one. Black blotches fogged her vision as she tried to face him again, struggling in the process.

"My dead grandmother hits harder than ya'." a punched was thrown at the dead center of her face, causing her and the chair to fall back against the concrete.

"Sit her back up and continue beating the piss out of her until she's learned her lesson." he told his someone as they came through the door as he Fay heard him place things back onto the metal surface. His footsteps seamed to be tracking farther away and more towards the door.

"What're ya' afraid of, huh? Scared that everything you worked 'oh so hard for' is crumbling right before your eyes?" Fay spat viciously, then grinned. "I don't know what your up too. And frankly, I don't give a fuck, because it's all gonna fall apart before it starts."

He walked over towards her and whispered in her ear.

"Once I've infected the entire world, not only am I going to destroy everything that is so dear to you, I'm going to staple your eyes open so you don't miss a single moment of their death and witness every emotion of pain, anger, and betrayal that flashes across their face." he slowly backed away from Fay's ear and walked out of the threshold. Fay's face was pale and emotionless, but her eyes held true fear in them for the first time.


	5. Decoy

**This chapter also contains a lot of swearing and some gore. I might just change the rating to M xD I really enjoyed writing this chapter and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.**

* * *

"Everybody in their positions?" Steve directed while watching on top of a building across the apartment complex he was stationed at. His ear piece sounded off with his teammates' voice and Tony's smart alack replies.

"You know Capsicle, you've been pretty bossy lately." Tony smarted off. Steve didn't even have to look at his face to know a shit eating grin was behind Tony's mask. Steve couldn't help but crack a smile at his attempt to lighten the mood.

"Focus, Iron Man." Steve commanded, just to spite Tony. Steve glanced at the clock that was down the street. It read seven forty-five. It was almost time, according to Thrýlos' previous abductions. Steve took a deep breath, trying to calm his overworked nerves.

"No reason to get so worked up. Tag the SUV, follow them, get in, grab the hostages." he thought with newfound determination. A black SUV pulled up, three men hopped out and headed in the complex. Steve quickly shot into action as they stepped through the door. He came up behind the vehicle, tacked a tracker underneath and inside the bumper and quickly removed himself from sight. Eight seconds later, the three men came out with a man that was unconscious. Steve's blood boiled but he had to wait. If he acted now, their plan of rescue would be sabotaged.

"I'm on their tails." Steve barked quietly into the microphone. He received the same conformation from his teammates. Steve hopped from roof to roof, following the vehicle until it stopped in the old abandoned district of the city. Old, rusty, beat-down warehouses were the only things that were around for the next couple miles. Sitting on top of a building a couple blocks away, he seen other SUV's grouping together and pile into a single warehouse.

"It seems that they're harboring the hostages within a warehouse at 12204 McCarren Avenue." Steve spoke quietly into the device. Steve felt a presence towards his right and went to strike but stopped mid action once he realized who it was.

"So what's the plan, Captain?" Hawkeye asked as he brought his bow out, completely unfazed by the Captain's reaction. Steve waited until the rest of the team were gathered together on top of roof, except for Bruce. He was set a couple blocks away until he was absolutely needed. He was the team's backup tonight.

"Stealth is the plan. Our main goal is to get in and out with the hostages and as much information as possible. We need to make sure not to alarm them. I've called S.H.I.E.L.D. and informed them of our location. They are currently on their way here to surround the place." Steve's stern voice was complemented with his stone like features.

"Black Widow, take the south. Iron Man, the West. Hawkeye, the North. I'll take the East. If we need the Hulk, he'll just come busting through the roof most likely." Steve gave the signal and the team separated in their designated areas. Steve infiltrated the warehouse through a window. It was quiet and he quickly looked around before hiding behind some left behind crates that were stacked about ten feet high.

"That girl the boss's got is some pretty bangable material." Steve heard two sets of footsteps coming towards him. He then heard them laugh at what the one male said.

"Wonder why he wants her." the other man said.

"Don't know. Boss never tells anybody much of anything. Maybe he just wanted a piece of ass from a red head." the first voice stated and they laughed again. As they approached the area Steve was hiding, he quickly grabbed the back of their necks and knocked them unconscious using their own skulls.

"Sorry fellas'. But there's a world that needs saving." he whispered. "And I have a woman to rescue again." he thought earnestly. Steve searched the men and found some key cards. He quickly continued in the direction the men were heading. He scanned the card before stepping through the door. He was faced with a narrow, curving hallway that only offered a left and right direction. There were doors that decorated the wall that Steve faced.

"So many doors to check through. Hopefully not each room is filled with enemies." Steve hoped as he decided to take to his right. Steve carefully glanced into the rooms as he continued. Each one just as empty as the other. Steve heard voices coming from both in front and behind him. He quickly hid within the dark room to his left. He closed the door and stood to the left of it, in case they came in, he would have the element of surprise. As they made small chat, Steve tightened his grip on his shield. As the voices quickly halted and the sound of foot steps grew fainter, Steve let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. As he went to leave the room, he heard a quiet female voice.

"Help us..." a she whispered in fear. Steve quickly turned back around and approached what he now recognized was a group of people hidden in the dark corner.

"Don't worry, I'm gonna' make sure you get out of here." Steve promised the group and made out the glimmer of hope that flashed in their shadowed eyes.

"I've found the abductees. They were placed in room number 121. I need them evacuated immediately." Steve said in his microphone. Steve scanned the group and took a head count. There were only six and Fay was not within the group. Steve's face fell into a cold frown.

"I need you all to stay quiet and wait right here. My teammates are on their way to evacuate you." Captain America addressed the group. There were some 'thank you's and most of them nodded their heads.

"Why aren't you doing it, Cap?" Tony's voice rang in his ear.

"There are still people missing. I'm going to continue searching before they realize we're here." he responded. Steve swiftly exited the room and continued his search. As Steve rounded a corner, he was faced with three men. Steve quickly moved to strike and instantly knocked out two in on single move. Before he could get his hands on the third one, he yelled into his radio.

"The Avengers have infil-" he was cut off by a swift hit knocking his radio out of his hands. There was a quick counter hit from the enemy before Steve knocked the wind out of him by throwing an upper cut to the gut, causing the man to bend forward and groan. Steve took the opportunity to hit his enemy in the upper part of his back that caused him to be unconscious and sprawl out across the floor.

"They know we're here." Steve growled into the microphone.

"Damn it! Why wasn't I being more careful?!" the Captain harshly criticized himself as he quickly ran down the hallway, while sparing quick glances into the rooms he ran past.

"Captain, we are surrounding the area. What are our movements?" Steve heard Agent Phil ask from his ear piece.

"Don't enter, yet. It's possible they might just release the bacteria with everyone in here, so keep your distance." Steve ordered. He went through the door at the end of the long, curving hallway. The room was fairly large. There was a single lamp that illuminated the center of the room. The smell of blood lingered heavily on the air. It looked as if someone was massacred in the area the lamp lit up.

"So glad you could join us, Mr. Rogers." a giddy voice expressed as a figured stepped out from the shadows. His frame was tall and built, he looked clean-cut, and wore a suit and tie. His eyes were such a dark brown, that they looked almost black. His shorter black hair was slightly longer in the front and spiked up. He had a business smile on his face as he greeted Steve.

"Why exactly are you spreading disease across the world?" Steve demanded an answer. However, that wasn't the first question he really wanted to ask.

"Please, I know what you're really searching for. Or should I say, I know WHOM you're after." it was as if the man read Steve's inner thoughts. Steve held his ground and kept his body neutral at the man's accusations.

"What exactly do you have to gain from infecting the entire planet's population with a bacteria that is just going to eventually wipe them all out?" Steve continued down the line of the questions that plagued his mind, completely ignoring the man's previous statement. The man's smile didn't falter, in fact, it widened.

"Power, of course. Isn't that the very reason for every 'villain's' motives." the man briefly paused. "I plan to make the world kneel before me in all my glory and beg me to spare their pathetic lives." he continued.

"So your saying you have a cure to wipe the bacteria out?" Steve kept his interests from showing upon his face. The man walked over towards the left and slipped a switch. The room was quickly lit and revealed an awful sight behind the man. There were glass rooms. Some had people who were infected and were groaning in agony and some were already dead. There was blood covering the area and many long tables that held all sorts of tubes and surgical equipment. Steve's blood felt like it was melting through his skin.

"My name is Layne." the man said as he placed his hands behind his back and paced from left to right and repeated the action multiple times. He completely ignored Captain America's question at first before stopping and deciding to enlighten the man in uniform.

"I will soon enough." Layne said as he picked up a vial. He brought it to his face to examine it. Steve stood ready to pounce, but remained still in hopes to pry out as much information willingly from the man.

"You've unleashed a highly deadly, uncontrollable, super bacteria onto the world without having a definite cure?" Steve couldn't believe the extremely dangerous risk the man took, just to have a chance at power.

"Actually, I do. I just have to man more than one dose of it first. " His smile turned to something much more sinister. His eyes gave off a glimmer that made Steve sick to his stomach. Steve's patience in finding Fay was wearing thin.

"What exactly do you plan to do with her?" Steve's voice dripped with a demand to be answered, that he was a force not to be reckoned with. Layne just laughed.

"Patience, Captain, patience. As you may have already figured. Only those with a certain blood type can be directly infected by the bacteria. Anybody who comes into contact with the infected also joins the same fate as them: inevitable death." he paused in order to place the tube back onto the table and picked up a different one that looked to be filled with blood.

"You see this? This, my friend, is the cure. A single drop can make the process of death reverse and keep a person healthy for a very long time. However, there is only one source of the supply. The subject's blood is the only one known to man that has a unique strain of DNA within the cells that makes them immune to various bacteria and viruses." Layne finally lifted his gaze back to Steve.

"The subject's name is Fayanna Coulson. Or Fay as you seem to be familiar with." Steve had Layne's throat in his grasp and lifted him up off the ground before he realized what he had done. All he could see was red when he seen Layne's face light up with a disturbing smile.

"You'll never find her you know. She's not even here. Your just wasting your time."

* * *

Another hit was delivered to Fay's gut and the wind, which she was barely able to breath into her lungs, was immediately forced back out. She was on the verge of passing out. Her body continued to ache and bleed as she once more grunted.

"Mus' make you feel like a' real man, beatin' on a woman an' all." Fay continued to antagonize the men that interrogated her. Sometime during the process, her blind fold was removed. The men made a comment that they preferred to see every gruesome emotion that spreads across their victims' face. Fay tried with every fiber in her being to do just the opposite of what they wanted. Another hit was sent to her already bruised, and probably broken, ribs.

"Your lucky the boss wants you alive, otherwise I would've already cut your tongue out and forced it down your throat." the shorter of the two men threatened Fay while his face was inches away from her's.

"Oh yeah? And what would you do, Fugly Fuck?" Fay directed her grin towards the taller man that was on the other side of her. She was slapped across the face. She spat out another broken tooth, how many did that make? Seven, maybe more. You kind of lose track when your losing teeth left and right, literally.

"Code blue, I repeat, code blue. Grab the Dove and relocate to area 53." a scratchy voice sounded through the radio that was set on the metal table. The two men looked at each other with shock plastered across their ugly mugs. They quickly went to untie Fay from the chair. She took the opportunity of her now freed arms to head butt the shorter man and punch the other one. It's not like another blow to the head was gonna make her head hurt any more than it did now. She ran out the door, but she was stumbling and limping.

"God damn it, legs! Fucking... Move!" Fay gritted her teeth as she forced her screaming, painful muscles to go as fast as they could. She didn't get very far when she was grabbed from behind in a bear hug.

"And jus' where do you think your going, beautiful?" one of the men growled in her ear.

"Actually, she's coming with us." an unfamiliar voice said. Her captor turned them around, his gun facing towards a man in a red and gold iron suite. Suddenly the man holding her grunted and fell to the ground. Without being supported, Fay started to fall to her knees. Fay squeezed her eyes shut, accepting the fact that her falling onto the concrete was going to hurt like hell. But she fell into a pair of metallic arms instead.

"With a little foundation, you'll look good as new." the humor coming from Iron Man caused Fay to give a half grin. It hurt way to much to even think about laughing.

"Stop fooling around, Iron Man. We've gotta' get her the hell outta' here and to Bruce as fast as possible. Widow took care of the other hostages." a man Fay recognized as Hawkeye said while quickly moving.

"Hold on tight." Iron Man warned before carefully lifting Fay while she wrapped her arms around his neck for support.

* * *

"Go ahead and kill me. It'll make you feel alive." Layne taunted. Steve squeezed his throat with more force. A sound escaped from his very own throat that closely resembled a growl of an animal. Steve was beyond tempted to snap the man's neck. Never before has he ever felt such boiling rage.

"Steve, we've got all the hostages evacuated. We also found a woman in one of the surrounding warehouses. But she's not doing so hot. So lets hurry and get the hell out of here." Hawkeye's voice pierced through Steve's murderous thoughts. Steve dropped Layne like a bad habit. He coughed and gasped for air and looked up at Steve with a look that was on the border of confusion.

"Nice try, Layne. But the jig is up." the Captain said.

"Agent Coulson, send them in. I've got the man behind everything ri-" Steve was cut off by the feeling of multiple needles striking him in the back. The room started to spin as he seen Layne stand up.

"Let's proceed to base. Grab everything you can salvage without getting apprehended." Layne spoke into his watch. Steve fell to his knees and reached out to try and grab his leg in attempt to stop the mad man. Layne just gave a menacing laugh as he started to walk away.

"I'll be seeing you in the future, Steven." Steve finally collapsed to the floor and became unconscious.

"I swear,... I will... bring you to... justice..." Steve's voice trailed off before his train of thought was finally cut off as the darkness consumed his consciousness.

* * *

"Sir, I'm afraid we've lost the Dove." an extraordinary tall man said to Layne, his body stiff with discipline as he gauged the mastermind's reaction. Layne smiled as he approached a window.

"Don't you think I would have heavily guarded her if I truly didn't want her to be found? My, my, I thought you were smarter than that, Ivan." Layne folded his hand behind his back as his voice held a hint of playfulness to it.

"What exactly do you have to gain from the Avengers having access to the cure?" the man named Ivan questioned with his deep voice.

"My dear Ivan, I'm wounded. Have you no faith in me anymore?" Layne faked being hurt. Ivan's face continued to remain neutral.

"No, Sir." he replied with the same low, dark tone. His hands were placed behind his back just as Layne's were.

"Good. Send in our guest." Layne commanded with a sinister grin. Ivan brought in a woman with long red hair and threw her to the floor. The woman looked up from the ground, her gaze was filled with fear and confusion.

"So nice of you to join us tonight, Ms. Cross. Or would you prefer me to call you 'Rayne'?" Layne turned to face her with a sinister grin and a spark of insanity sparkled in his eyes.


	6. You've just pissed off the WORNG person

**My fingers are on FIRE! I can't seem to stop them, they have a mind of their own. Now that it's almost four in the morning, I'm going to call it a night. Enjoy!**

* * *

"-aptain... Captain!... Steve, wake up!" Steve groggily rolled his eyes open. It took him a moment before he could even lift himself up from the cold concrete beneath him. He let out a groan as flashes of pain coursed through his head.

"Where is he?" Steve growled as he forced himself up, trying to ignore the disorientation and tried to force himself to focus. A hand held onto his arm in an attempt to help him up.

"Who?" Steve recognized the velvet voice of Agent Romanoff. Steve clasped a hand to the side of his head.

"Layne. He's behind everything." Steve's head snapped towards Natasha with his eyes wide and went to open his mouth to ask about Fay but the action caused his vision to flash white and pain that made his head throb.

"Where is she?" He tried to keep the desperation out of his voice. His thoughts were filled with worry as to whether or not she was infected or worse, already dead.

"Clint and Tony found her. They're taking her to S.H.I.E.L.D. head quarters right now with Bruce acting as paramedic on the way there. What happened to you?" Natasha looked him up and down as she asked her question. Steve's heart rate quickened but he tried to calm himself down.

"Bruce is there. She's on her way to receive medical treatment now." he tried to convince himself that she would be alright. Steve hadn't even heard Natasha's question as he tried to walk out of the room but tripped over his own feet and almost fell. Natasha hooked Steve's arm around her shoulder and tried to support him.

"You know, the sooner you get yourself checked out, the sooner you can get to her and not be bothered." Natasha remarked while they walked towards the exit. Steve remained quiet. He knew she was right and was a bit embarrassed that he has been letting his emotions get the better of his reasoning these past few days. The walk to the vehicle waiting for them outside seemed to take hours as the pain in his head continued.

"Make sure he gets checked out before letting him loose." Agent Romanoff commanded to the agent in the driver's seat. The man gave a single nod as he started up the vehicle. Steve climbed into the passenger seat, laying his head back against the head piece in an attempt to keep his vision from spinning. He must have dozed off on the way to headquarters, because he felt the vehicle stop and could hear the city life from above the base. It was a Tony's idea to set a base underground and out of site. Steve slowly exited the vehicle and was assisted by two doctors into the medical area of the large, underground building and was quickly settled into a room to get blood drawn and tests running.

"Do you know anything about the liquid that was injected into you?" a male doctor asked. Steve grunted out a response that he hoped sounding something along the lines of a 'no'. The doctor just nodded his head and directed a command at some of the other nurses and doctors in the room.

"Is she alright?" Steve asked in his haziness. The doctor raised his eyebrow in confusion.

"Could you elaborate about whom you speak of?" the doctor asked. Steve tried to focus his eyes on the doctor. As the seconds passed, it only seemed like the pain intensified, making it even harder to focus on anything.

"Her name's Fay. You.. can't miss her... orange hair..." Steve trailed off. The doctor took on a somber look. This caused Steve to sit up, worry coursing through his veins. The doctor tried to push him back onto the bed but you can't exactly out strengthen a man with superhuman strength without losing.

"Please, Captain Rogers! You must lay back down and not make the symptoms worse for yourself. She's currently being operated on by the best of the best." the doctor tried to provide an explanation in order to settle the superhuman down. Steve did as he was asked with a frown engraved on his face. It was twenty minutes later when a nurse came into the room with the results of the liquid used to strike down Captain America. The doctor's eyes widened.

"I'm surprised this didn't kill even you, Captain. The liquid was an extremely condensed version of the nectar from a plant called Nepenthes Attenboroughii. It comes from Mount Victoria in the Philippines. It's one of the most deadliest plants on earth." Steve barely comprehended the words coming out of the man's mouth. All he heard was 'most deadliest' and that was more then enough to figure out why he felt so awful.

"I'll be fine." Steve said as he tried to remove himself from the bed once again but was stopped.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that, Captain. If you don't sit tight and let us flush the poison out of your system, you'll only be shortening the man power of your team if something were to happen with in the near future." Steve did not like the sound of that.

"How long is it going to take for enough of the poison to be out of my system so I can get up from this bed?" Steve gritted his teeth while another flash of white clouded his vision and his head felt like it was being split open.

"A week at leas-."

"I don't have that kind of time. I need to see if she's alright." Steve desperately argued. The doctor's face sported a frown and his eyebrows knitted in concern.

"I'll make you a deal. If you can stay in that bed and not move for three days and let us try and rid as much poison as possible in those three days. I won't complain about you getting up and being out of your room. But that's only if you promise, otherwise, I'll have to restrain you and keep you until your system is completely cleaned. Got it?" the doctor said. Steve nodded unhappily, but didn't argue.

"I might as well try and make myself comfortable then..." Steve mentally groaned.

* * *

Agent Phil Coulson paced the hallway outside the operating room. His face remained neutral, but his eyes were etched with worry. Phil paid no mind to those who walked by. The only thing he cared about was that his baby sister was nearly on the verge of death. If even just one more second was wasted, she could've been dead.

"You look like you could use a drink." Tony Stark's voice cracked through Phil's thoughts of the almost death of his sister. Coulson glanced at the cup Tony was offering and politely took it.

"Thank you." his voice held almost no emotion. Tony sat down in one of the many chairs within the hallway and patted to a seat next to him with his trademark smirk on his face. Phil sighed as he complied.

"She's gonna' be alright, ya' know." Tony said while taking a drink from his cup, his other arm laid across the top of the chair to his left and his right leg bent over the other. Phil just grimly gazed at his cup, staring at the black liquid in it.

"She sure is a feisty one, isn't she Agent?" Tony grinned while staring at the door to the operation room Fay had been in for almost three hours now. Phil slightly smiled at the accurate comment.

"You don't even know the half of it." Phil said with a little humor behind his words. The small smile faded just as quickly as it came, causing his face to wrinkle in worry.

"I always wanted a little sister, ya' know." Tony said while taking another swig from his cup. Phil's face contorted into one of confusion and disbelief.

"I appreciate you trying to... 'cheer me up', Tony. But I'm afraid the only kind of peace of mind I can get right now is getting a definite answer that Fayanna is going to be okay." Phil said, keeping his gaze settled on the door. Tony took another drink from his cup, a look of understanding on his face. Three more hours went by and Tony sat there with Phil the whole time in the almost deafening silence until the door finally opened. Agent Coulson was instantly on his feet as he seen the doctor approach the door. Tony stood with him.

"Well?" Phil said with little patience. The doctor looked exhausted and wiped her brow with the back of her hand.

"She's lucky to have even lived," the doctor started before explaining Fayanna's condition. "She had seven knife wounds in the thighs of her legs, internal bleeding from her abdominal area due to extreme, quickly induced pressure that most likely were the result of numerous blows from one using their own fists," She paused to take a breath before continuing.

"Four ribs were broken, and all but two were badly bruised. The fourth rib down on her right side almost pierced her lung completely, so she's on a machine to help her breath at a more comfortable rate. Her left cheek bone and her nose were almost completely shattered. She had a lot of clotting within her face and neck as well." the doctor finished, trying to minimize the gruesome details and focused on getting straight to the point. Phil's hands were clenched so tightly, his knuckles were turned white.

"May I see her." it was more of a statement that pretty much said Phil was going to enter the room whether he was given permission or not. The doctor just nodded and took a left down the hallway. Phil stepped into the room and Tony decided he should go pay Steve a visit.

* * *

Steve was lying on his back, practically counting down the seconds before he could get out of the God for saken bed that was his prison for the next three days. He did the only thing he could think of to help Fay without actually being able to leave the bed: he prayed. He hoped to hell God was listening and doing everything in his power to save her. Steve didn't understand why she was so important to him when they hardly knew anything about each other, but then again, he wasn't really making an effort to actually look into it. A brief knock on the door broke through Steve's thoughts.

"Hey, Cap, how ya' feeling, buddy?" Tony's face looked serious but his tone still held amusement. Steve just turned his gaze back towards the ceiling.

"I'm really not in the mood, Tony." Steve's voice sounded strained and exhausted. Tony walked over to the man laying in the bed and took a seat in the chair next to him. There was silence between the two for a while before Tony finally broke it.

"She's the girl from the restaurant, the one that you nearly blew a gasket about in the meeting when you seen the video, isn't it?" Tony didn't exactly ask it as a question, but rather confirmed out loud and took Steve's silence as a 'Your right, Tony. She is'.

"The doctor just got done with the operation." Steve bolted into an upright position and didn't let the protest of his body phase him as Tony spoke.

"How bad?" Steve almost dreaded asking the question. He was terrified. Not only about Fay's condition, but how he'll react to her condition. Tony's face went somber, his voice lowered.

"She got pretty banged up. But it looks like she's pullin' through. She's one tough cookie, Spangles." Tony tried to lighten the mood. Steve was just glad to hear that she was at least alright. He decided he'll wait until he was a bit better before taking in the information of her condition. Steve was certainty not in any shape to beat the crap out of whoever caused her to be in such critical condition.

"What about Thrýlos?" Steve forced his mind to worry about the bigger picture. Tony's face turned to one of distaste.

"There's a handful that were gathered up and are currently being interrogated. They aren't exactly the talkative type of people." Tony provided the answer with a scowl.

"They're just lucky Phil isn't in there with them. Who knows how many of them would still be alive if he was given the chance." Tony's statement would've been taken as humorous if what he said wasn't the truth of such a possibility. Steve second the notion within his head.

"I heard about the deal you made with the doctor. How exactly do you plan to keep your end of the bargain?" Tony asked with a half grin and a glint of amusement in his eyes. Steve rolled his eyes.

"By doing what I agreed to. Stay in bed for the next three days, then I'm free from bed rest." Steve didn't know why he bothered to humor Tony, it always ended with Tony walking a way with a smug expression and Steve left behind in a fit of agitation or embarrassment.

"You just made the mistake of taking interest in a girl with the worst possible type of older brother known to man to kind. A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. You'll probably be chaperoned every time you two even think about being in the same room. How are you guys suppose to even get down and dirty with Coulson breathing down your neck?" typical Tony. Always has to swing the coversation to the topic of sex at every available opportunity he could find. Guess that's probably one of the few habits he has that will never be broken, even by the love of his life, Pepper.

"Tony, I hardly know her. That's not even the first thing on my mind, in fact, that's never once crossed my mind." Steve tried to fight off the warmth that was spreading up his neck that headed towards the tip of his ears. Tony just wore a smug grin, completely enjoying the rise he was able to pull out of the typically calm and collected Captain America. The moment didn't last long before the atmosphere turned dreary once again.

"I may not know her hardly either, but I did get the impression from her that she doesn't seem to be the type that likes people stressing over her like your doing now. She seems like the type that would kick you in the ass just so you'd stop being pitiful." Tony said while eyeing Steve. He gave a small chuckle as he remembered how Fay reacted to him coming to her rescue in the first time they actually met. Tony smiled and got up from the chair.

"I'm gonna go see how things are going with everything else. Want anything while I'm gone?" Tony offered. Steve just shook his head. As Tony went to leave, Steve stopped him.

"Thanks, Tony." Steve said quietly. Tony just shrugged his shoulders before leaving Steve alone in the dreadfully quiet room once more.

* * *

"How exactly did Thrýlos target Fayanna Coulson? What part does she play in this scheme?" Agent Romanoff asked the man across from her. He didn't move a muscle, hell, he hardly even batted his eyelashes. Natasha glared at him while slightly leaning over her crossed arms as she inched towards him until they were nearly centimeters apart.

"I suggest you cooperate. If you don't, I'm afraid you'll face the wrath of one VERY pissed of brother of a victim you and your partner decided to almost beat to death. Trust me, you haven't experienced fear yet, but you will soon." she slowly inched away and left the room. Apparently, talking to them wasn't the way they were going to get any questions answered.

"No luck?" Clint approached Natasha as she closed the door behind her. She just looked at him with the same serious expression she always wore.

"They'll be talking soon enough." she stated as she headed in the direction of ICU. Clint quickly fell into step with her as they continued towards the elevator.

"Who would've thought the girl was Coulson's sister? They look nothing a like according to her pictures." Clint said humorously. Natasha didn't even so much as crack a smile as she continued walking towards Fay's room as they got off the elevator. They were both stopped by Dr. Banner as they rounded a corner.

"I wouldn't suggest going in there. Not even if you said the world was about to end." He stated as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"That bad, huh?" Clint asked.

"And you all thought things got bad when I lose my temper." Bruce went around the two and continued in the direction he was facing. Natasha and Clint just looked at each other and proceeded forward.

* * *

Phil just continued to stare at his hands with his shoulders slumped forward. You would've thought he wasn't real if you hadn't noticed the slight movement of his chest when he breathed. He let his face fall into his hands in misery.

"I'm so sorry, Fay... I should've protected you. I should've done more to ensure your safety... I should've made sure there was always someone near by to make sure things like this would never happen. I should've been the one near by..." Phil's heart ached as he continued to blame himself.

"I'm sorry. You were right, you know. I should've been there for you after our parents passed. I've tried so hard to get this job in order to make sure you would always be safe... Guess that didn't go over so well, hm?" Phil was interrupted by a knock at the door and took the few seconds he had to compose himself before the door opened.

"The man behind the operation goes by the name Layne Villemaire. He was born in Europe and stuck in an orphanage up until he was ten, before he was sent to an asylum for poisoning his adopted family at the age of thirteen. He ended up taking courses one take in order to get a degree in both human biology of genes and anatomy, as well as chemistry and bio engineering." Natasha handed Agent Coulson a manila folder that contained more detailed information. As she continued, Phil looked through the folder without paying any mind to what she was saying.

"Stop." Phil instructed. All he could do was stare at the man behind the reason Fayanna was stuck in that hospital bed struggling to survive. He made sure to memorize every detail of the man's face. Everything from the scar in the upper, right corner of his head to almost the exact number of lines and eyelashes the man had. Agent Coulson was filled with one of the most deadliest of goals: seeking vengeance.


	7. That One Actually Hurt

By the end of the third day, Steve never moved so fast in his life until the doctor gave him the okay to leave. The team frequently checked on him after hearing about the poison and tried to keep him occupied while he was stuck holding his end of the bargain in the small, uncomfortable, hospital bed. Every time they visited, they wouldn't give him any news about what had happened to Fay and he never felt such tremendous frustration in his life. He appreciated that they were concerned for him, but he was a grown man and could have certainly handled it like one. When he approached the door of his destination, he gave a quick, three tap knock but there was no reply. As Steve entered Fay's room, his body slumped as if it were relaxed. However, that certainly wasn't the case. Steve slowly walked over towards Fay's bedside and examined the damage that was done to her.

Her face was completely swollen. Her skin was every other color but the fair, pale color Steve had seen. There were lacerations all over her cheeks and nose. Bruises of all shapes and sizes trailed down her throat.

"Oh, God,..." Steve tried not to think about the kinds of injuries that were past her neck; for he was sure that if they were not just as bad as the ones he could see now, they would most certainly be worse. Fay was hooked up to so many machines that the room almost sounded as busy as the streets above them.

"What did they do to you, Fay?" Steve asked as he went to reach for her bruised left hand and sat down in the chair next to the bed. Steve just sat there, examining her hand with sad eyes and stroked his thumb over the top of her hand in an attempt to soothe her. He could feel her pulse faintly thump against the skin of his own fingers. The almost blinding light that was illuminating from above only seemed to make the discoloration of her knuckles intensify and it only made Steve want to bring down Thrýlos with his own bare hands more than ever.

"I swear to you, Fay, that you will never have to go through anything like this again so long as I'm still breathing." Steve vowed as he stayed next to her side for a few more minutes. Agent Coulson walked through the door with a small bouquet of blue, star shaped flowers. Phil paused when he realized that there was another person hunched over by his sister's bed. Steve quickly removed himself from touching Fay once him and Coulson locked gazes. An awkward silence filled the room as nothing was said while Phil put the flowers on the table on the opposite side of Steve and sat in the empty chair that was there. Steve didn't know how long they sat there with the machines being the only sound that echoed throughout the room.

"Thrýlos seems to have halted all abductions and are currently off the grid." Phil pierced the silence. Steve looked up at Phil's face. He looked much older than what he truly was. Bags covered the underneath of his eyes and they didn't have their usual spark in them.

"They won't be able to hide for long." Steve's voice was low and full of conviction. Phil's lips twitched upward. Steve saw something change in Agent Coulson's eyes in that moment, something that closely resembled resolve. Nothing more was said as they continued to sit in silence for a little bit longer before Steve got up and put his hand on Phil's shoulder before deciding to leave the siblings to themselves. Plus, Steve should be more careful around Fay and wear his uniform so she can go back to living a normal life after this was all over. He didn't want her to get wrapped up in this whole hero business. It was much to dangerous for her.

"Director Fury is asking for you to meet him in the conference room, Captain." an agent came up to Steve completely professional like and stood with disciplince. Steve gave him his notorious nod as he quickly headed in the direction of the room. Steve expected to see the others but the only thing he seen when he walked in was Nick Fury's back.

"Why don't you take a seat, Captain." if Steve didn't know the man, it would've sounded like a suggestion rather than a command. He hesitantly took a seat as the eye-patch-wearing man turned around and established eye contact with the superhuman. There was a pregnant pause as Steve sat there patiently.

"It seems that Agent Coulson's sister wasn't Thrýlos' main interest and was merely acting as a decoy." he stated while standing in front of the table, facing Steve. The Captain felt his muscles tense as the words settled in his mind. Steve couldn't wrap his mind around as to what the point was for Fay to go through such a traumatic event. What exactly was there to gain by beating her until the brink of death. Steve had never felt such rage in his life. Fury just stood there for a moment, gauging the emotions that flashed across the Captain's face.

"Apparently they've taken their interests to the Coulson siblings' cousin, Rayne Cross." Steve's eyes widened as his body practically shot out of his seat.

"Does Coulson know?" Steve asked. Fury's gaze locked onto Steve's.

"No, and for right now, you and I are the only ones to know. Agent Coulson can absolutely NOT find out. At least, not until his sister's condition improves." Fury commanded. Steve wanted to argue that Coulson had every right to know about his cousin's abduction but had understood that Coulson is, in fact, not ready to take on the news just yet, not when he just almost lost his only sister. Steve nodded in confirmation and left the room.

* * *

When Fay's eyes fluttered open, she could hardly make anything out. The only think she could make out was that the room was obnoxiously white. It gave her a headache. But that was the least of her problems. Her body ached from head to toe. It was almost unbearable.

"Ughh..." Fay groaned in pain as she tried to shift her weight into a more comfortable position. Phil, who had ended up falling asleep in the chair, shot immediately into action when he heard Fay. He put his hand gently on her shoulder in an effort to tell her to stop moving.

"You shouldn't be trying to move yet." Phil's normally calm and collected voice was now filled with worry and concern. Fay turned her head in the direction of Phil, trying to force her gaze to focus. It took several minutes before she finally realized who the voice belonged to. In an instant, Fay turned her head the other way and refused to look at him. Phil frowned at the cold hearted action but didn't protest against it. They siblings sat in an ear piercing silence.

"What are you doing here?" Fay's voice sounded raspy, as if she had a sore throat.

"I work here." Phil didn't necessarily work here, per say, but this was the building he had his own office at. Fay only flashed Phil a confused glance before averting her gaze away from him once more.

"I thought you'd have some sort of engineering job or something... Considering that's what you went to school for... or at least, that's what you told me anyways." Fay continuously tried to clear her throat and had to stop speaking a lot in order to breathe before she was able to finish speaking.

"I did. I just so happen to get a job that didn't really require the degree I have." though Phil wasn't lying, he wasn't exactly telling the truth either.

"What do you do then?" to anybody else, they wouldn't have heard the curiosity in Fay's 'uninterested' tone. Coulson went to make up a believable job but was interrupted.

"And don't you dare lie to me, Philip. I am a grown ass woman. I'm not the same immature, sixteen year old, sister you left behind." though her voice was quiet and was hard to understand, Phil knew better then to further damage their already shattered relationship.

"I'm an agent for S.H.I.E.L.D. I can't tell you much about it or what I do. But I can say that I have a job that lets me save people and the planet we live on." Phil wasn't sure if Fay would believe him, he didn't exactly give her an reason to the whole time they were growing up together. Fay stared at Coulson hard. Phil just sat there as she continued to stare as if she were trying to look into his soul. Just as Fay went to go speak, Tony Stark walked right in. Fay was a bit baffled, after all, it was him and Hawkeye that rescued her.

"Your finally up, hm, Cookie? It's about time you know. You had Mr. Worry Wart One and Two moping around the whole time you were out." Tony's animated voice changed the mood completely as he approached Fay with flowers and a giant teddy bear in hand. Fay took the offered items with a very confused look on her face.

"Worry wort one and two? My name's not Cookie" Fay didn't understand why he was calling her that in the first place. Who the hell names their kid 'Cookie' anyway? It seemed really odd for the billionaire, playboy to act as if they've been friends forever. Tony seemed to not have even realized Fay was questioning him as he continued to talk but Fay was having a hard time keeping up with what he was saying.

"Thank you. For the gifts and for saving my life." her voice interrupted, immediately stopping Tony in his tracks and let loose one of his trademark grins.

"I don't really accept 'thank you's. Saving lives is part of the job of being Iron Man." Tony waved his hand dismissively. Fay made an attempt to smile but it look more like a grimace.

"Mr. Stark, could you please leave my sister and I to talk?" Phil's tone was a filled with impatience and irritation at Tony's uninvited presence. Fay shot her brother a glare at his rudeness towards the man that saved her.

"You can stay, Mr. Stark. I don't have much to talk about with him anyways." Fay said while continuing to frown at Phil. Tony looked between the two and felt a bit awkward for running in the crossfire of the siblings 'conversation'." Thankfully, Natasha came in and demanded that both Tony and Agent Coulson followed her. They all looked towards Fay before pilling out.

"Later, Cookie." Tony said while raising his hand in a wave as he walked away. Phil hesitantly got up and went to go place his hand on Fay's when she shifted away from him. He retracted his arm with a frown.

"I'll be back." he said softly. As the door was closed, she sighed heavily and stared at the teddy bear Tony gave her. It was really cute. It's eyed were big and spread wide apart. There was a red ribbon tied in a bow that sat on the side of its neck. It was extremely soft too. Fay sadly stared at it. Fay squeezed it in a hug as tight as her weak muscle would let her as she tried to keep the tears filling her eyes from falling. A knock sounded at her door and Fay quickly threw the bear on the floor.

"How are you doing?" a deep, velvety voice asked. Fay recognized the red, white, and blue uniform that she's seen from the media over a million times. Fay was really confused as to why members of the Avengers were visiting her. It made sense for Iron Man to do so, after all, he was the one that saved her. But Fay couldn't think of a single reason Captain America was paying her a visit.

"Um, fine... I suppose. Extremely sore, but I'll be fine." she could barely multitask with thinking and speaking today.

"That's good to hear." Captain America stood there in the doorway. Fay then realized that he was waiting for permission to enter.

"You can sit down, ya' know? I promise I won't bite." she joked, then blushed in embarrassment at the realization of what she had just said and WHOM she said it to.

"What the hell was that?! Did you just seriously say that to Captain America? Just embarrass yourself even more, Fay." she scolded herself. The superhero just smiled and approached Fay. He walked with confidence. His stride showed legs that looked as if they went through years of discipline and training. As he sat down in the chair that Phil had left vacant, Fay quickly snapped her gaze away when she realized she was staring. She desperatly tried to fight down a blush that started to creep up her neck.

"Sorry if I come off as rude, but... Why are you here?" Fay asked while her head was bent low and gazed up at him with confusion. As the Captain went to go reply, Fay spoke up, completely cutting him off. She had a bad habit of doing that.

"Wait a second..." Fay bent slightly forward, she squinted her swollen eyes as she stared at the man's eyes. She knew those eyes. There was only one person she knew that had stunning baby blue eyes like that. Steve stiffened.

"How does she know? I didn't do or say anything that would have given me away." Steve thought with panic seeping through his veins. He shot up from his seat and stumbled out a lame excuse as to why he was in a hurry to go.

"Steve?" Fay's voice stopped him in his tracks when he reached the door. Her voice sounded as if she was betrayed. Steve didn't turn around. He didn't think he could handle seeing the painful emotion that he thought plagued her broken features.

"Steve, please look at me." Steve stayed still for a few moments before sighing in defeat and turning around, not entirely ready to face the disappointed look on her face. When he turned around, he was instead faced with beautiful, glimmering, blue eyes, the same ones he always found himself thinking about the for past few weeks. Her face held a soft, small smile on bruised and busted lips. Steve's heart seemed to skip a few beats. When his eyes locked onto hers, her smile widened a bit more, showing teeth this time.

"You weren't joking when you said you were a superhero." Fay let out a soft laugh that caused her eyes to close in the process. When they opened back up, they held a look of amusement. Steve bowed his head in embarrassment. There was no sense in denying it, Fay definitly didn't seem to be the gullible type.

"How did you know it was me?" he questioned. Steve couldn't think of one single thing that would've even hinted towards her to even guess his citizen identity. Fay just gave another laugh.

"Because I've never met anybody else with unbelievably blue eyes that looked like the color of the sky like yours before." Fay's face felt hot as she admitted to THE Captain America, a freaking SUPERHERO, that he had stunning eyes. Steve didn't know how to respond when it came to being complimented on anything that didn't deal with his job as a hero, especially his appearence. Without thinking, Steve grasped Fay's delicate hands with his own. He bent forward a bit and spoke lowly.

"Fay... I am so sorry that I wasn't able to get you out of that awful situation sooner." Steve apologized. He couldn't get rid of the guilt that was eating at him about him not being able to prevent Fay from experiencing such pain. Fay stiffened at the apology and looked down at their connected hands. Steve realized that he was intruding Fay's personal space and went to quickly remove himself. But she squeezed his hands and held on.

"You can't blame yourself for something that wasn't even your fault." Fay said sternly. Their gazes were locked for a moment. Silence seemed to be pretty popular these days.

"Were... you really trying to look for me?" Fay said as she broke the eye contact and looked at their clasped hands. Her voice was small and filled with disbelief and hope. Steve tightened his grip just a little bit, causing Fay to look back into his eyes.

"Fay, this is going to sound insane, but I really need you to listen to me." Steve said with a hint of desperation. "From the moment I met you, you were constantly on my mind. Everything about you caught my attention. From your wild, orange hair, to your thin glasses, to how your lips curled beautifully when you smiled at me, to your independent attitude, and espacially your sense of humor." Steve paused for a moment to stare at the red hue that was starting to spread across Fay's face.

"You, Fay, have made me feel something I haven't felt, for what seems like forever, again. Fay, I-" Fay snatched her hands out of Steve's, which caused him to stop in the middle of his confession.

"Please just leave." Fay pleaded as she turned her head the other way. Steve was stunned. He quickly got up and did as he was asked. Steve headed down the hallway as if he put his body and mind on autopilot. He couldn't process what had exactly happened. As Steve ended up in the work out room, realization kicked in. He slammed his fist into the wall, causing the concrete around his fist to crack and break. The few people in the room quickly and quietly removed themselves from the vicinity of the angry superhuman.

"How could I be such an IDIOT!" Steve growled, filling with self-anger and he hit a near by punching bag, sending it clear across the room. He felt as if his heart was torn into several pieces and each one was stomped on. Steve didn't realize until that moment why he was so concerned with Fay, he loved her. He forgot what the feeling had felt like after he was robbed from his time period, robbed of Peggy, and was forced to continue life in the 21st century. But Fay was a whole 'nother ball game. The feelings he got with the short red head hit Steve much harder and faster compared to what he had felt with Peggy.

"You know, I think I can help you out with that anger." a voice came from the entrance. Steve's eyes closely resembled that of a wild animal as they locked eyes with a set of brown eyes. Dr. Bruce Banner stood leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed. Steve continued to pummel the crap out of punching bags as, one by one, they were broken sand bags on the floor.

"Releasing anger in an aggressive way isn't exactly the smartest idea. Trust me." Steve might have cracked a smile at the irony behind Bruce's words if he wasn't so worked up. Steve placed one more hit against the bag before it joined the same fate many others before it suffered. Steve continued to ignore Bruce, hoping he would get the hint and leave him be.

"I'll take that as my invitation to leave then." Bruce pushed himself away from the door and went to leave.

"I'll be in the lab if you want to talk." Bruce's voice echoed softly and caused Steve to pull his punch back for a moment. Once Bruce walked away, a new wave of anger coursed through his veins and hit the bag, causing the ceiling piece that held the bags up to completely snap.

* * *

**I hope you're all enjoying the story!**


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